1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved bottle cap. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a bottle cap having an improved sealing bead configured to engage a container crown proximal the maximum diameter thereof. The present invention is also directed to a bottle cap having an improved tear tab including a line of weakness extending along a skirt upward from a bottom edge of the bottle cap and onto a top of the bottle cap.
2. Description of Related Art
An exemplar of a known cap for use with large water containers of the type used with water dispensers and water coolers is U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,125 to Adams. The cap disclosed by the Adams ""125 patent includes a top, a cylindrical side wall extending downward from the top, a rounded corner interconnecting the top and the cylindrical side walls, and a tension ring configured to fit under the neck bead, that is a crown of a container neck. The cap disclosed by the Adams ""125 patent also includes internal upper and lower seal beads on the inside of the wall of the corner which are configured to tightly engage the container lip and seal against leakage.
The large water containers used with such known caps are generally blow molded and include neck finishes that are trimmed or otherwise finished using conventional methods. Although the neck finishes are somewhat standardized within the container industry, the actual heights of container neck crowns tend to vary to some degree due to the trimming and other finishing processes. In the event that excessive material is removed from a container neck crown during trimming, the upper and lower seal beads of known caps of the type disclosed by the Adams ""125 patent might not effectively seal against the crown.
Caps of the type disclosed by the Adams ""125 patent generally include a score line having a curved portion which extends from the base of the cap skirt to a horizontal portion. Although such score lines are effective for removing the cap from a container, a substantially vertical score line is beneficial for manufacturing purposes because caps molded with vertical score lines are generally easier to uniformly fill with molten resin and easier to remove from a mold. Due to the substantial skirt height of such caps, a single vertical score line of the type generally used on shorter caps, such as those disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,567 to Bietzer et al., is generally insufficient to remove a cap from a large water container. Instead, a pair of vertical tear lines is needed to facilitate removal of the cap from a container.
An exemplar of a cap having a pair of vertical tear lines is U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,226 to Verderber which shows a bottle cap having a top, a skirt, a tab, and vertical tear lines which extend from the tear tab and terminate on an upper portion of the skirt below the top. The Verderber patent also discloses a bottle cap having a top, a skirt, a tab, and a single vertical tear line which extends downward from a circumferentially extending, horizontal internal tear line. The Verderber patent discloses yet another bottle cap including a top, a skirt, a tab, and a single vertical tear line which extends around the top at the intersection of a bevel and the top.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,041 to Bietzer shows another cap having a top, a skirt, a tear tab, and vertical tear lines which extend from the tear tab and terminate on an upper portion of the skirt. One of the tear lines disclosed by Bietzer extends close to the top while the other tear line terminates at a location somewhat below the top.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,827 to Bietzer et al. shows a cap having a top, a skirt, and vertical score lines which extend from the tear tab. One score line extends up to an upper slanted portion of the skirt. The other score line extends from up the bottom of the skirt to the top.
Although conventional wisdom might imply that extending both tear lines to the top of a cap would be beneficial for removing the cap from a container, the prior art shows at least one tear line of a cap generally terminating at a location somewhat below the top in order to facilitate removal of the cap from the bottle. As described in the Bietzer ""041 patent, it was found that pulling on the tab of caps having a pair of tear lines which extend to the top thereof actually caused a locking ring thereof to increase its grip on a bottle used therewith thus making the cap very hard to remove. In particular, pulling the tab of such caps causes a reduction in the effective diameter of the locking ring disadvantageously tightening the locking ring around the bottle. Thus, a user frequently needed to grip the skirt of such caps and pry them from the bottle.
Furthermore, removal of known caps generally does not completely fracture and/or destroy all sealing means of the caps. Accordingly, users of known caps may be inclined to misuse the caps by reusing the caps on a reusable bottle. Storage of potentially dangerous substances is a major concern in the field of reusable bottles.
What is needed is a cap which overcomes the above and other disadvantages of known caps.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved bottle cap which allows a user to remove the bottle cap from a container in a facile manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved bottle cap which allows only a single use thereof, thus preventing misuse of a reusable bottle.
In summary, one aspect of the present invention is directed to a bottle cap including a top, a skirt, a locking bead, a tear tab, and a line of weakness. The top has a perimeter. The skirt depends from the perimeter and has a bottom edge. The locking bead radially extends inward from the skirt intermediate the top and the bottom edge. The tear tab extends downward from the bottom edge. The line of weakness extends along the skirt upward from the bottom edge and onto the top.
The skirt may include a frustoconical upper portion and a cylindrical lower portion in which the line of weakness extends from the bottom edge, though the cylindrical lower portion, through the frustoconical upper portion and onto the top.
The cap may include a second line of weakness extending along the skirt upward from the bottom edge, through the cylindrical lower portion and terminating in the frustoconical upper portion.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a bottle cap including a top, a skirt, a locking bead, a tear tab, a line of weakness, and a gusset. The top has a perimeter. The skirt depends from the perimeter and has a bottom edge. The locking bead radially extends inward from the skirt intermediate the top and the bottom edge. The tear tab extends downward from the bottom edge. The first line of weakness extends along the skirt upward from the bottom edge. The gusset extends from the locking bead into the skirt. The gusset may extend along a portion of the line of weakness.
The cap may include a second line of weakness and a second gusset, the second line of weakness extending along the skirt upward from the bottom edge terminating adjacent the perimeter, and the second gusset extending from the locking bead into the skirt, the second gusset extending along a portion of the second line of weakness.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a bottle cap including a top having a perimeter, a skirt depending downward from the perimeter, the skirt having a bottom edge, a locking bead radially extending inward from an interior surface of the skirt intermediate the top and the bottom edge, a tear tab extending downward from the bottom edge, a first line of weakness proximate the tear tab and extending upward from the bottom edge and across the locking bead, and reinforcing structure including a first gusset extending from the locking bead into the skirt and along a portion of the first line of weakness to provide leverage for tearing through the locking bead.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a bottle cap including a top having a perimeter, a skirt depending downward from the perimeter, the skirt having a bottom edge, a locking bead radially extending inward from an interior surface of the skirt intermediate the top and the bottom edge, and a sealing bead radially extending inward from an interior surface of the skirt approximately midway between the top and the locking bead. The cap may include a tear tab extending downward from the bottom edge, a first line of weakness proximate the tear tab and extending upward from the bottom edge and across the locking bead.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to a bottle cap including a top having a perimeter, a skirt depending downward from the perimeter, the skirt having a bottom edge, a tear tab extending downward from the bottom edge, first and second lines of weakness proximate the tear tab and extending upward along the skirt from the bottom edge defining a tear tab portion between the lines of weakness, and gripping structure for facilitating gripping of the tear tab portion by a user as the tear tab portion is torn away from the skirt, the ribbing located on the tear tab portion intermediate the bottom edge and the top. The gripping structure may include ribs. The ribs may be located on an internal surface of the skirt.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.